‘Our golden crown’

Abstract

Intertextuality is paramount in literary translation. This article studies the biblical composite permeating the second scene of the third act of Shakespeare's Richard II. It focuses on how Shakespeare's use of the scriptural concepts of kingship is transposed into Spanish by the most widely read translators of these plays. Special attention is paid to the way Shakespeare represents kingship in Richard II by quoting from the Bible. The methodology employed in this intertextual comparison involves a comparative analysis of the transposition component in both the source and the receiving intertext (the Spanish version of the text). The conclusions aim to encourage greater attention to be paid to intertextuality in the practice of translation, particularly after comparing the strengths and weaknesses of the five Spanish translations compared in this article.